


Seeing Ghosts

by Warpony



Series: Feral Echoes [20]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, Loss, M/M, Remembrance, Situational Mutism, Storytelling, remembering the past, white dragon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:27:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24757765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warpony/pseuds/Warpony
Summary: Calliope felt a strange mix of relief, confusion and the tiniest bit of an insult. "Fine. Then why in the Nine Hells have you been staring at me all day?”
Relationships: Verin Thelyss/Original Character(s)
Series: Feral Echoes [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1711534
Comments: 6
Kudos: 24





	Seeing Ghosts

"Caduceus..."

"Yes, Calliope?" The grave cleric hummed softly, wringing a bit more water out of his long mohawk of streaked pink and white.

"... Your friend has been staring at me for hours. He's trying to hide it but he's not good at it." The paladin Clay dropped her voice; head turned just a bit to keep watch from the corner of her eye.

Caduceus was not to discreet and turned nearly all the way around to look behind them. He smiled bemusedly before looking back to his sister. 

"That's interesting." He rumbled. 

"Why's he doing it?" She whispered harshly. 

"I can't claim to know. If you want to know I suggest asking him." Caduceus used his fingers to comb out his hair a bit then started to weave it into a braid very reminiscent of their mother. 

"He's not... you know..."

Caduceus looked at her innocently, one ear perked towards Calliope. 

" _You know_." She made a few awkward gestures. Caduceus's brow furrowed in confusion. 

"I'm not..." He trailed off.

Calliope sighed heavily and leaned forwards. "Looking for a... a mate..."

The grave cleric smiled and chuckled a little. 

" _Caduceus_! It’s not funny! Because if that's it, with all the staring, you need to _tell him to stop right now_." Calliope hissed. 

"Oh it really is very funny. As I know things you do not." Caduceus tied off his braid. "But you really should just ask him."

Calliope crossed her arms tightly over her chest, fidgeting and working her jaw a bit. 

"I will come along if you're afraid-"

"Oh for the love of Melora." Calliope popped up onto her feet, practically turning on her heel and marching aggressively away from the oasis pool and towards the open mouth of the red and gold veined cave. Caduceus gave a little shake of his head and rose to follow. 

The object of their conversation started a little as they headed his way. 

Brunnera ducked his head, focusing his eyes on where he was running a small whetstone along the edge of one of his swords. He was sitting on the edge of a large, flat hunk of sandstone right at the edge of the cave entrance. The closer they got the more he stared down at his sword and his shoulders hunched, trying to look much smaller and unthreatening. 

Calliope marched up until she was only a few feet away, standing rigid and looking every inch the terrifying paladin she could be. 

Brunnera kept his head down, to many years in the String had taught him the wisdom of avoiding eye contact but he slowly put away the whetstone and the dao sword. His hands stayed open and upturned, palms towards the sky. 

Unthreatening. 

Calliope narrowed her eyes suspiciously. 

"Hello, Brunnera."

"Cad..." The fighter whispered, unmoving otherwise. Even as Caduceus moved around Calliope to sit on the rock next to him. 

"Calliope is under the impression you are debating pursuing her." The young grave cleric swished his ears mischievously. 

Brunnera jolted as if he'd been slapped. His head jerked to look towards Caduceus then Calliope. Both the bay furred fighter and the pink haired paladin blushed a little. Brunnera's eyes going back to the ground. His tail curled around himself. 

His throat clicked when he tried to speak. Caduceus set a reassuring hand on the younger firbolg's shoulder. "I would hope you wouldn't want to end your courtship with Verin, despite how wonderful and pugnacious my sister may be."

The fighter made a soft queasy sound at just the suggested idea of abandoning Verin, lips curling in a venomless growl. "Never."

Calliope felt a strange mix of relief, confusion and the tiniest bit of an insult. "Fine. Then why in the Nine Hells have you been staring at me all day?”

Brunnera sighed, folding his arms tight across his chest. He was silent for a moment before taking a breath, ears sinking even lower. "...I had a... a sister... she was like you..."

Caduceus mischievous smile slipped a bit. "A fine sister indeed then. What was her name? You've never said."

"... Aurora... after the colored lights... in the sky... in Common speech… she was a… a War Cleric… but I don’t… remember the… the deity… ” Brunnera mumbled softly, he wrapped his tail around his own hand and wrist, trying to take comfort in it. Caduceus was reminded again just how young the Alpine firbolg was even compared to himself. Brunnera was about Calliope’s age, possibly a bit younger, and had lived through so much more than anyone his age should have.

A clatter, followed by few peals of laughter made the three firbolgs look up. Catching sight of some of the Nein tumbling out of one of the abodes carved into the walls of the gold and red veined cave. They were throwing pinecones at one another and failing miserably to shush each other’s laughter between sips from a bottle of wine.

Yasha’s eyes caught on the trio and the barbarian managed to gently steer Beau, Jester, Nott and Fjord towards them. Caduceus smiled indulgently as the chaotic band and cleared his throat to get their attention.

“Well, if all of you are done defiling-“

“Not defiling, Cad.” Beau protested. “They’re technically already defiled…”

Caduceus hummed, “Done defiling the cloisters of this temple, Brunnera was just about to tell us a story about a legendary War Cleric of the North.”

“What… ?” The bay and blue furred fighter muttered even as Jester chirped happily. Practically throwing herself to the grassy earth in front of the stone Brunnera was sitting on.

“Brunny tells the best stories.” The tiefling told Calliope as she dug around into her pack and pulled out the leather journal with the painted heart shaped leaves and little blue flowers. She flipped it to an open page before scribbling out a date and location at the top. 

Brunnera was still staring at Caduceus, his ears pinned back and looking like he was considering bolting.

Yasha gently moved her way through the small group, giving Calliope a small smile, before sitting on the rock on Brunnera's other side, she spoke softly. "I would like to hear that story."

The fighter huffed softly, giving her a side eyed look before dropping his eyes down to where his hands were twisted up in his lap, tail twisted around his own wrist and arm. 

Reluctantly he unwound his tail and made a motion to Yasha, "I'll sign... you speak?"

Yasha nodded in agreement.

The bay and blue furred firbolg sat up a bit, lifting his hands and starting to weave a story together. It bloomed slowly, a bit more carefully, than some of the others.

Yasha watched Brunnera's hands, reciting the drawn symbols of Nein sign aloud. 

_High in the mountains, were the snowpack never melts to spring runoff, roved a family as old as the peaks. A granddaughter of the chieftain, a healer, was their greatest protector and hunter. She carried a greatsword made from mammoth tusks and antlers of a great caribou. Her armor made of leathers and furs of winter wolves and yeti. When they faced danger she drove the beasts and monsters back. When they were wounded or ill she healed them. When they were starving she brought back meat and water. She led their wandering life to the valleys of lush oasis and warmth. Guided them to the summits to commune with the spirits and ancestors that painted the night sky in color. The roving family lived in peace, growing in the safety their champion kept for them. They prospered in the lands that so many thought lifeless and brutal. One day the family was struck by a sudden, terrible blizzard and were desperate for shelter. The champion dove into the whiteout. She scouted ahead and found a cave before going back to lead the family to safety. As the family settled in to ride out the storm and at the first strike of fire light a monstrosity reared up in the belly of the cave. A young white dragon._

_The beast roared and wailed slashing with claws, lashing with tail, spitting bitter ice. The champion reared up to the beast, striking true with all the ferocity of all her ancestors before her and all the family that depended on her. Again and again she took blows from the dragon, shook the ice from her fur that tried to lock her bones and muscles in death. With a mighty swing and battle cry the champion swung her greatsword and she slew the dragon and it fell dead._

_The chieftain of the family, grievous wounded by the dragon and breathing his last, called the champion to him. He told her that she would lead the family as he left the plane, he knew there was none better to take care of the family. The champion agreed, taking on the title of chieftain as her grandfather joined the spirits and ancestors. When the storm passed the family buried their grandfather outside the cave beneath the stars. The family mourned, caring not for the dragon’s hoard or flesh of the beast, the new chieftain taking a single tooth from her defeated foe to honor the dragon’s memory ._

_She led the family for many years but one cannot see the future. A great evil fell on the land, one unlike any the family had seen or fought in all their centuries. Monsters with weapons that spit fire and metal and magic that tore their bodies asunder. The family’s cries swallowed up by the wind and their little ones ripped from their mothers. Though she fought with all her strength and will the champion fell…_

Brunnera’s hands suddenly dropped lifelessly into his lap. His head hanging and spine arched so that he nearly looked ready to collapse. Not sound came from him but slowly a few tears dripped onto the grass between his feet. 

Yasha’s arm carefully wrapped around his shoulders, the barbarian silent, understanding the depth of loss all too well.

After a moment Yasha spoke, quietly and carefully. “… but when she fell her spirit rose up, as strong in death as it had been in life. She sent the souls of the family on to join their grandfather beyond but she refused, choosing instead to stay behind as a sentinel. She would stay until everyone in the family that had been lost returned and she’ll guide them each home until they can all be together again. A guardian in the mountains.”

Brunnera choked out a soft sob before pushing himself up and away pulling away from Yasha and pushing passed Calliope and headed for the oasis pool.

Beau jolted as if to get up and follow but Caduceus gently caught her arm and pulled her back. “Best leave him alone for now…”

**Author's Note:**

> Bit of truth here, I ended up tearing up a little bit towards the end of this. In 2019 I lost both of my parents in separate incidents in a span of three weeks. Grief and loss never goes away, just gets easier to carry. But sometimes the world shows you things that remind you and it feels like its fresh all over again.


End file.
